Sailor Senshi Wannabees
by Dustbunny3
Summary: HIATUS. Various pairings. Anzu, Mai, Isis and Shizuka happen to meet up one day and decided to become senshi. But crime fighting isn't as easy as anime makes it look. Not only that, they have to deal with suspicions, lies and, of course, guys.
1. To Anzu's House They Go

Disclaimer: Dustbunny doesn't own Yu Gi Oh! or Sailor Moon. If she did, neither would last more than a week on air

A/N: My sole excuse for this story is that it was my first. I've cleaned it up so it's a little better at least. It's actually not too horrible. There are still elements of random RyouAnzu in here. Many apologies but it's necessary to some of my favorite scenes.

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It was a rainy afternoon that saw no one outside. No one, that is, except Shizuka Kawaii.

_I can't believe this weather_, she thought glumly. _At least I'm almost there._

Shizuka was on her way to Anzu Mazaki's house. Looking up at the glum, gray sky, she sighed and thought, _She got so lucky_.

The original plan was for Anzu to visit Shizuka, but circumstances made their planned activities impossible at the apartment she now shared with her brother. The circumstances? Katsuya Jounouchi and Hiroto Honda. Despite Shizuka's protests, the boys had plopped themselves in front of either of the two TVs and were trying to outlast each other in various videogames. It was rather a shock to Shizuka that they would intentionally inconvenience her in this way. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had told her brother of Anzu's visit, no matter how he claimed not to have known. And in any case, she would have thought that the boys would leave them in piece- either by Shizuka's pleading or Anzu's threatening. But, no, they held their ground, insisting that it was of critical importance that they have their contest then. The somewhat puzzled girls had eventually had no choice but to change plans or miss part of the movie they planned to watch.

_They are so gonna pay for this_, Shizuka thought with uncharacteristic spite as the rain came down harder. It had come out of nowhere when she was a few blocks from home. As it had been warm and sunny when she left, Shizuka hadn't bothered to bring along an umbrella or even a jacket.

A clap of thunder sounded, making her quicken her pace. Just one more corner… there it was! A mere ten yard stretch of sidewalk was between here and her destination. She had finally made it.

Shizuka jogged the remaining distance and hurried up the front steps to Anzu's porch. Glad to be in the shelter of the over-hanging, she ran one hand through her hair to get rid of some of the water. With her other hand she gave the bell a quick double ring.

"Shizuka! " cried Anzu as she opened the door, " I was worried. Can you believe this rain?"

"I know," Shizuka smiled, "You got off easy. Remember to thank Katsuya and Honda."

"C'mon, the movie's about to start," Anzu said, moving aside to let the younger girl enter. "I got a ton of snacks ready. I'll go ahead and grab you a towel."

With that, Shizuka went in and shed her moist sneakers in the hall before following Anzu to the living room. She waited standing up as Anzu hurried off to find a towel for her to dry off with. When Anzu came and gave it to her, she gave herself a quick rub-down before joining Anzu on the sofa.

As the two made themselves comfortable, they heard the television announcer begin to speak.

"Now," stated the unseen announcer, "we present _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon_."

Anzu and Serenity smiled and dug into the junk food that was laid out on the low table before them.

Meanwhile, the rain became a full-fledged storm in no time at all. The howling of the wind alone was enough to force Anzu to increase the volume by ten decibels. The actual rain eventually made another five necessary.

"I'm glad I got here before all _that_ started up," Shizuka shuddered as another clap of thunder rolled.

"I just hope that the power doesn't go out, " Anzu stated in a worried tone.

"Don't say that," Shizuka warned quickly, "You'll jinx it."

As if on cue, the lights and television screen flickered twice and then went out completely. For a moment the girls were quiet in the sudden darkness.

Shizuka, however, broke the silence with a cry of, "That was one of the best parts!"

"I guess I really did jinx it, " Anzu said with a sheepish chuckle.

Shizuka sighed. "I was kidding Anzu. There's no such thing as jinxes."

"Oh, yeah, Shizuka. No such thing as jinxes. Just five thousand year old spirits that exist in magic jewelry- and dimensions where they can lock people's souls away," Anzu said with playful sarcasm. "Anyway, I'll go get a flashlight. We can play a board game or something."

"By flashlight?" questioned Shizuka.

"Well, something other than sit around in the dark," Anzu replied as she stood to retrieve the flashlight from the hall closet.

The problems started right off. Not taking into account just how much closer the table had been brought to the sofa, Anzu almost tripped over it. She managed to gain her balance by quickly stepping to the left- and on Shizuka's foot.

"Ouch! My foot! " Serenity cried in pain as Anzu's foot slammed down on it.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Anzu apologized quickly, pulling away- only to bang her shins on the edge of the afore mentioned coffee table. To make matters worse, a bowl of something- popcorn or chips from the sound of it- crashed to the floor as a result of the impact.

Grunting with pain, Anzu stumbled out into the open. Well, it should have been open. Anzu hadn't taken two steps before banging her hip against the end table. She heard the lamp on the table start to rock and reached out blindly to catch it. Luckily, she did manage to grab it and keep it from falling to the floor. In doing so, however, she knocked off the shade, which landed with a thump. In trying to retrieve it, she came close to squashing it and opted to leave it for the time being.

"Are you okay, Anzu? " Shizuka asked, half-concerned and half-amused.

"Oh, I'm fine," Anzu bit, trying not to snap at Shizuka. "Just peachy."

With that said, Anzu continued her quest to the closet. Stepping carefully, Anzu felt her toe bump into the lampshade from earlier. Pushing it aside, she took more venturous steps- and tripped into the armchair she had forgotten about completely.

"Oof!" she grunted as she stood herself up upright.

"Are you-" Serenity began.

"Don't. Ask. " Anzu cut her off sharply.

Of course, things didn't get any better when she finally made it to the hallway. There she stumbled upon the vacuum cleaner that she could have sworn she'd put away.

_I'll burn those tables- both of them_, Anzu thought darkly. _And that chair will be a scratching post for homeless cats. As for that lamp… Wait… the closet! Yes!_

Anzu quickly pulled opened the door and began fumbling on the high shelf for the flashlight. There it was! But no sooner had her fingers wrapped around the base than the electricity came back on.

"NO!" Anzu cried out in frustration as she slammed the door shut. "This isn't funny!"

And so a seriously ticked off Anzu walked back to the living room, angrily knocking over the vacuum as she went.

Re-entering the living room, Anzu found that the movie was being further delayed by an emergency news bulletin regarding the severity of the storm and warning of possible flooding. Who the weatherman thought he was fooling by having this bulletin posted was beyond her. Her dead-and-buried goldfish could have "predicted" this news.

Adding to Anzu's annoyance was the bad job Shizuka was doing of hiding her giggling over Anzu's misadventure. Maybe _she_ should try it some time.

Just as Anzu was about to tell her off, the doorbell sounded. Wondering who could be out in such terrible weather, Anzu went quickly to answer it. Well, if someone had told her whom she was going to find on her doorstep, she'd have called the nut house.

"What are you guys doing here?" she gasped loudly surprise.

"Hoping that you'll let us in?" suggested the shivering but smiling form of Mai Kujaku.

"Oh, of course!" Anzu jumped aside to allow the two women space to come in. "You must be the surprise Yugi was teasing about," she addressed Isis.

"I suppose," she replied. "Sorry to ruin it but I think it was rather necessary in the circumstances."

As the two women shed their soggy shoes, Anzu hurried off to get them towels. They met up in the living room, Mai and Isis gladly accepting the fluffy towels.

" What are you guys doing here?" Anzu repeated as they dried off.

"We were retuning from the mall-" began Isis.

"The mall?" Anzu raised her eyebrows in surprise. Isis didn't seem like the mall type.

"Yes, the mall. I ran into Mai in town while trying to find a place for lunch. She insisted on taking me shopping," Isis explained in her usual calm, quiet voice. Her right eyebrow, however, was twitching rather visibly. "Five hours of shopping."

Naturally Mai was oblivious to this and told Isis graciously, "No thanks are necessary, of course. It was a pleasure."

From the way Isis's eyebrow twitched on her otherwise serene face, no thanks were coming.

"But anyway," Mai went on, "the rain got bad, so it was hard to see the road. I remembered that you said you lived around here and I was welcome if I was ever in town…" Mai let the sentence hang.

"You're lucky you didn't wreck in that!" Anzu waved a hand in the general direction of the front door. "And it's nice to see you both. I heard you were in town, Mai, but Isis! Wouldn't that be on the news or something?"

"I'm not here for anything big," Isis explained. "I'm just accompanying a few archeological finds. They're going to be showing several museums internationally."

"Cool, you get to go globe-trotting!" Anzu exclaimed. "Help yourselves to something to eat."

She indicated the food on the table, wincing when she noticed the mess of potato chips littering her carpet. She forgotten about that…

Anzu grumbled and went into the hallway after the vacuum cleaner. This sent Shizuka into a quiet giggling fits, causing Anzu to shoot her a dirty look as she went. Mai settled down next to Shizuka on the sofa. Isis grabbed a small handful of popcorn from one of the bowls on the table before easing into the armchair.

As Anzu was lugging the vacuum into the room, the news bulletin ended. The result was a very loud, "_Moon Cosmic Power Make-Up!"_ resounding throughout the room.

"Oh, good! I love this movie!" Mai grinned widely and leaned forward to grab a cheese puff.

"I didn't realize that this was going to be on," Isis intoned quietly. She smiled, though, and relaxed to watch the television.

Anzu and Shizuka glanced at each other in mild surprised. Neither would have guessed that either woman was interested in such things. Learn something new every day.

Temporarily forgetting the mess on the floor, Anzu went carefully to the sofa to sit with Shizuka and Mai. This, after all, was no utterly late weather warning. This was _Sailor Moon_.

When the movie went off and Anzu had cleaned up the potato chips- and put away the vacuum- the four girls chatted and continued to munch on the junk food still laid out on the table.

Mai, it tuned out, had rented an apartment in Domino and was considering staying around for good. She'd been having nightmares again, and wanted to be somewhere she could find help in a pinch. The subject was quick to change, however, when Mai saw that Isis was uncomfortable with the topic.

They began instead to discuss Isis's exhibit. She hadn't been a large part of the dig the relics had come from, but had been of importance in deciphering the inscriptions found on them. Isis went on to describe some of the artifacts. When she off-handedly mentioned that one looked something like Sailor Moon's Holy Grail, a discussion of the movie and the series in general.

"Sailor Venus is awesome!" Anzu declared. "And Chibi-Chibi Moon is so adorable!"

"I like Mars and Jupiter," Mai said after a moment of thought. "They both kick butt but they still no how to be women. Although Mars has _got_ to do something about those pink over-alls of hers."

Shizuka giggled. "I like them too. Sailor Moon is funny."

"Mercury and Neptune," Isis spoke up, "have truly enviable intelligence."

"They're a bit wallflower for my taste," Mai said. "Still, it makes sense for you."

"You know no one has mentioned Uranus or Pluto or Saturn?" Anzu looked up slightly in thought. "All of them have totally cool powers too."

"True," Mai commented. "But Uranus is a bit lacking in the feminine department. I prefer _girl_ girls. Pluto strikes me as being a bit too tragic. Same for Saturn. They're all pretty cool, though."

"Hey, Anzu," Shizuka appraised her, "your hair is kind of like Sailor Saturn's. Is that on purpose?"

"Huh?" Anzu subconsciously ran her right hand through her hair. "No. Actually, I never noticed that."

"Yeah, sure," Mai smirked. "Fangirl."

"Oh, so I guess you look like a biker version of Venus because _you're_ a fangirl, then?" Anzu smirked back at her.

Mai frowned at having the tables turned on her but then smiled again. "Could you imagine biker babe Senshi?"

The room was quiet for a minute as the four considered the thought. The silence was broken by a fit of laughter. Even Isis cracked a smile and let herself chuckle a bit.

"Being a Sailor Senshi," Shizuka gasped as she calmed herself, "would be so cool!"

"Elemental powers are a little cliché," Mai said as she carefully wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, "but, yeah, that would be cool."

"Defiantly," Anzu sighed. She leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. "You'd think with all the crazy stuff that goes on with us we could find a way to gain supernatural abilities."

"Actually," Isis said thoughtfully, "there may be a way."

"What?" Mai raised one eyebrow skeptically.

"What do you mean, Isis?" Shizuka looked at her curiously.

Isis sat quietly, eyes distant in thought. The others were quiet too now, waiting for her to speak. The sound of a ticking clock was heard from somewhere in the background. Had Anzu not been so interested in what Isis might be thinking, the thought might have weirded her out. Her home didn't contain a clock that ticked.

Finally, Isis looked up from the floor where her gaze had settled. The others leaned in without meaning to, listening intently.

"It's stopped raining," Isis stated simply.

The others deadpanned and stared at her. None of them could find it to respond. They had to admit, however, that she seemed to be right. The sounds of the storm had died away. To confirm the idea, Anzu switched the television back on and turned on the weather channel. Sure enough, the storm had blown over and the area was safe, albeit wet.

"I need to get back to the museum," Isis stood.

"Hang on!" Anzu protested, shooting to her feet. "Tell us what you meant!"

"It may not be definite," Isis explained calmly. "I'll need to look into it before saying anything more. I'll get in touch with you later today if possible."

"If possible?" Shizuka repeated somewhat glumly. "It might take longer?"

"It might," Isis smiled at the younger girl.

"Oh, raise our hopes for nothing," Mai rolled her eyes, standing as well. "Anyway, let's get going. Thanks for having us, hon," Mai nodded to Anzu and headed for the front door.

"It wasn't a problem."

"Oh," Shizuka jumped up as she realized how long she had stayed. "I should go to. Mai, can you give me a quick ride home?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want you to get caught in another shower."

The four made their way to the door, chatting idly as Mai, Isis and Shizuka worked into their shoes and coats. After exchanging basic pleasantries, they said good-bye and the three of them left, Anzu waving as they drove off in Mai's car.

About a half hour later Anzu was doing Jazzercise to a new video her dance instructor had recommended. She had just mastered being able to grab a chip from the lone remaining bowl on the coffee table while still going through the movements when the bell sounded for the third time that day. Potato chip clenched between her lips, she paused her tape and jogged to answer the door. Swinging it open, she was surprised to see Ryou standing at her doorstep.

"Hello, Anzu, " the boy greeted her quietly, almost nervously. His normally pale cheeks were a warm shade of pink.

Quickly finishing off the chip in her mouth, Anzu smiled at him and stepped slightly to the side to let him come in. Looking past him, she could see that it had started to drizzle.

"How are you, Ryou?" Anzu inquired as she shut the door. "I haven't seen you around lately."

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Ryou answered politely, avoiding eye contact. He made no move to enter the house further or even remove his shoes.

Anzu regarded him curiously, if a bit awkwardly. It was difficult not to awkward in the confined space, her friend acting like a child who had narrowly escaped being caught with a hand in the cookie jar. They were silent for several minutes, the ominous, shouldn't-be-there tick-tock back again.

"So," Anzu broke the silence, "Ryou. Uh… what can I do for you?"

"Ah, well, I need to speak with you about something."

"Oh. You want to come in and sit down?"

"No, I don't think so. It's just… well, you see… ah, I really don't know how to go about saying this."

"What? Is something the matter?" Anzu's expression turned to concern.

"Oh, no!" Ryou put his hands up quickly. His cheeks had turned a rather bright shade of red. "Nothing like that. You see, I think…"

"Yes?" Anzu leaned in slightly and smiled encouragingly.

Ryou faced her suddenly, looking her right in the eye. His own eyes were set in fierce determination. Anzu was taken aback and took a step backward. Quick as a flash, Ryou leaned into her and placed a whisper of a kiss on her cheek. Then he pulled back, face aflame.

"I think I may love you," he blurted out quickly.

Anzu, her own complexion rather rosy, had no time to comprehend what was going on before Ryou was out her front door like a shot. Placing one hand on the spot where he had kissed her, Anzu looked after him. He was long gone by the time she was halfway dragged from her shock-induced haze.

"Okay, thanks for stopping by," she said in a voice stuck between dreaminess and confusion.

She shut the door with a soft click and wandered back into the living room. The video had been on pause so long that it had shut off. She didn't bother to turn it back on. Instead she plodded over to the sofa and plopped down, trying to figure out what happened.

_Oh, come on. You're being pathetic_, she mentally chided herself with a frown. _Ryou kissed you and said he might love you. It's not all that difficult of a concept._

Still, she was a bit confused by it all. Why did Ryou run off after telling her? He was quiet, but she had trouble picturing him as being that shy. Maybe he had been put up to it? No, that didn't seem right either.

"Maybe he really _is_ that shy," she mused out loud.

She shook her head with a sigh and pushed herself up off the sofa. After all, she couldn't very well ask him right then. Walking over to the television, Anzu resolved to hunt him down and scare an explanation out of him as soon as possible. Well, maybe not _hunt_… or scare… but she would speak with him- sit him down and speak with him.

"May as well try to get through this tape for now," she mumbled to herself as she hit the play button on the VCR.

The attempt was ultimately futile.

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Well, while Anzu was being kissed by Ryou, Shizuka was being dropped off at home. Calling good-bye to Mai and Isis, she hurried through the light drizzle that had started up to the front door of the apartment. She let herself in and called out to the boys that she was back as she removed her shoes. Due to the loud booms and background music from the video games they were apparently still playing, Shizuka wasn't sure they had heard until Jounouchi responded.

"Did someone drop you off?" Jounouchi called to her from the living room.

She was a little surprised that he hadn't been too wrapped up in the game to answer her. Honda was probably still in Jounouchi's room. Jounouchi preferred the living room television quality. It worked out, though, since Honda preferred playing laying down on Jounouchi's bed.

"Yes," she responded as she made her way into the living room, trying to ignore the hideous puke green shag carpet the apartment had come with. "Mai did. She stopped by Anzu's house because of the storm." She decided not to mention Isis. She was supposed to be a surprise, after all.

"Oh," he answered, bits of relief and guilt just barely notable in his voice. He didn't look away from the television screen. "How was your movie?"

"Oh, it was alright," she answered as she settled herself next to him on the bright orange loveseat that he had just _had_ to have for the room. Then, letting her voice get just a little nippy, Shizuka added, "We missed some when the power went out, though. You know, because of the storm?"

"Oh, really?" Jounouchi's voice was soft, his attention slipping away from her. "The weather didn't get too bad here."

Once again, Shizuka considered revenge. They had played their games while she missed her favorite part of one of her favorite movies. Not only that, she might not have if she had been watching it on the television she should have been watching it on. Namely, the television her brother was shooting zombies on. Or at least the one Honda was shooting zombies on.

As her brother let out a whoop of glee at a particularly good shot and Honda cried out in despair from the other room, she decided that, yes, they would pay.

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Dustbunny: Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it

Honda: How come I'm not in this story?

Bunnydust: You dummy! You and Jounouchi both already played a _huge_ part in this story!

Jounouchi: We did?

Anzu: Duh! If it wasn't for you, Shizuka wouldn't have come over, and we wouldn't have talked to Mai and Isis!

Jounouchi/ Honda: _Oooh_

Dustbunny: And thus is my excuse for your lack of screen time otherwise

Jounouchi/ Honda: Hey!

Marshmallow: Heh. Please be kind and review (Read: Critique)


	2. Weapons?

Disclaimer: Guess who doesn't own _Sailor Moon_ or _YGO!_ Stop when you get to Dustbunny

A/N: I'm happy with how well this is moving along. I was so obsessed with cliff hangers on every chapter that it was taking forever. Two more chapter and it'll be where it was- and it had eight chapters!

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At about half past ten that evening, Anzu was just getting out of the shower when she heard her ring tone sound. Realizing that it might be Isis, she quickly wrapped a towel around herself and darted for her room, leaving her clothes in a heap on the bathroom floor. She lunged for her cell phone where it rested on her bed.

"Hello," Anzu gasped into the phone after flipping it on.

"Anzu?" Isis greeted. "Hold on a moment. I'm going to switch us to conference call."

Anzu heard a few beeps over the line, then Isis's voice again.

"Hello? Are we all here?"

"I'm here," Anzu replied, getting up to close her door and grab some pajamas from her dresser.

"So am I," chimed Mai.

"Me too," Shizuka said.

"So, Isis, what's the plan? How're we gonna do it?" Mai asked strait off. "Or were you yanking our chains?"

"No, I was serious before," Isis responded. "I needed to check up on something, which is why I couldn't explain until now."

"So, what was it?" Shizuka asked curiously. "Something that gives people super powers?"

"Not exactly. It does increase speed, strength and stamina, but not by much. It's more of a transformation."

"No joke?" Anzu inquired. "Hang on a second, okay?"

Anzu set her phone down on her dresser to get into her underwear and nightshirt. She dressed quickly and snatched her phone back up.

"I'm back."

"What was that all about?" Mai questioned.

"I just got out of the shower," Anzu explained. "I had to get dressed. Now then, what's up, Isis? You were saying?"

"Yeah, what about this transformation thing?" Mai piped up. "Is it some sort of spell?"

"Yes, it is. Put simply, it-"

"Isis!" Malik's voice was heard from the background. "I need the telephone."

"This phone is for business," the girls heard Isis tell Malik, each of them rising their eyebrows and trying not to laugh.

"Then why did you call Yugi for Shizuka's number?" Malik questioned suspiciously. "I thought none of them were supposed to know we were here!"

"Shizuka already knew," Isis explained patiently. "I saw her earlier today."

"That still doesn't make calling her business."

"Isis?" Mai cut in over the phone. "Unless you're going to explain everything to him, what say we talk later? We can all meet for lunch tomorrow. Do you know where Burger World-"

"I am _not_ going to Burger World," Anzu snapped in. "The management stinks."

"Okay. How about the Pizza Palace?"

No one had any problem with the Pizza Palace and Isis knew where it was.

"What time?" Isis asked.

"Isis, come on! It's getting late," Malik all but whined.

"Who could you possibly need to call so badly?" Isis asked, patience wavering.

"We'll see you at about two o'clock tomorrow, hon," Mai called into the phone. Isis didn't respond, but could just barely be heard speaking to Malik. "Oh, is that okay with you two?"

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, two o'clock," Mai confirmed. Isis still didn't answer. "Isis?"

"Yes, two o'clock," Isis answered. "I'll see you then, Mai. Goodnight. Goodnight, Shizuka, _Anzu_."

An unintelligible shout was heard from Malik in the background. The girls thought they could catch the word "phone" before a finalizing click was heard.

Wondering what was going on with the two, Anzu flipped her phone shut. As an afterthought, she turned off the ringer so no one would bother her when she tried to sleep. The last time Jounouchi and Honda had gone on a gaming spree, they had kept calling and asking her to look up cheats. She set the phone on her nightstand, turned out the light and climbed into bed.

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The next day, Anzu woke up fully energized, ready to meet with Isis and the girls. She rushed through her morning routine- with the added bonus of being scolded for leaving her laundry in the bathroom- and was out the door in a flash.

When Anzu arrived at the Pizza Palace, she saw Shizuka sitting at a booth and Mai just heading towards the drink dispenser. She went to the booth, smiling and waving. Seeing Mai's jacket on the opposite seat, she took the spot next to Shizuka.

Anzu looked around for Isis but didn't see her. She did, however, see an overly geeky boy at a nearby table look towards the table and almost faint. The guy looked like he was in heaven.

"Uh, Shizuka," Anzu started, "What's with that guy over there?"

"Oh, him," Shizuka said, looking where Anzu was pointing. "He starred a lot when Mai and I first came in. Mai says he's not used to having such pretty girls around him."

"I see," Anzu looked at him nervously out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure whether to be afraid, disturbed or concerned.

Mai came back then and set a cup in front of Shizuka. "I got your lemonade," she said, taking her spot. Then she noted Anzu looking around. "Isis isn't here yet. If she isn't here in five minutes we're ordering without her."

Four minutes later Isis came in looking annoyed- well, in comparison to her usual calm, cool disposition. As she came nearer, the others saw why. They had a tag along. A hot-looking tag along, but a tag along still.

"He just needs to talk to Anzu for a minute. Then he's leaving- in no more time than that," Isis explained in a tight voice that wasn't usual for her.

Malik smiled smoothly and squeezed next to Anzu, pushing Shizuka into the space next to the window in the process.

"Hello, Anzu. I meant to call you yesterday evening, but _someone_ broke the phone," he said looking pointedly at Isis.

"You're the one who hurdled over the desk and landed on it," she said under breath.

"Anyway," Malik continued, voice taking on a slight nervousness, "I was wondering if you would be interested in seeing a movie with me Monday."

Mai raised an eyebrow and half-smirked, eyeing Anzu; Isis was looking out the window in an attempt to ignore what was happening; poor Shizuka was waiting to reclaim her seat. The window was _cold_.

Anzu, surprised, thought it over for a few seconds. She didn't want Ryou to be hurt should he find out. Even though there was nothing going on between them, it didn't seem fair to go out with Malik when the issue with Ryou was still open.

Smiling sweetly and apologetically, she answered, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to be busy all that day."

"Tuesday, then?"

"I'll be busy then too. In fact, I don't know when I'll have any free time for a while. I can try to get back to you, though."

Malik's face fell. He was no super-stud, but judging by some of the female attention he had had while in town, he didn't think he would have trouble getting a date- especially not with someone he knew in a semi-friendly manner. Still, he smiled and excused himself with grace. No use cry over spilt milk or unavailable dates. That would be plain creepy.

When Malik was gone and there was room on the seat, Anzu quickly scooted over and helped Shizuka out of the crevice.

"I'm sorry about him," Isis stared out after her brother. "I needed a ride here and he wouldn't go away afterward."

"It's alright, Isis," Anzu smiled reassuringly at Isis while helping Shizuka straighten out and dust off. "He didn't waste too much time- and I was flattered he asked me out."

"Maybe you should change places with Shizuka, Anzu. It's less likely that you'd fall into such a small space," Mai suggested, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Anzu huffed teasingly.

"No. I'm saying that Shizuka needs to eat more often."

As if on cue, the waitress showed up and the girls placed their order for a medium pizza. Anzu and Isis went up to get drinks.

When everything was situated, a slice of pizza and beverage in front of each of them, three sets of eager eyes turned on Isis. Isis, meanwhile, was taking a rather leisurely drink of her tea.

"Well?" Mai pressed impatiently?

"Hm?" Isis glanced at her casually. "Ah, yes. I managed to get my hands on a very interesting artifact."

"The Holy Grail?" Shizuka leaned forward excitedly.

Isis arched an eyebrow before answering a simple, "No."

"Oh," Shizuka leaned back in disappointment.

"It's a mystic stone that can grant the power of shape-shifting," Isis finished.

That got Shizuka leaning forward again, along with Mai and Anzu.

"It's nothing like turning into animals or even several different things, mind you," Isis went on. "Each person to draw power from the stone can have only one other form. Even then, it's hardly advanced. Quite simply, you select a disguise, 'set' the stone, so to speak, and toggle between it and your usual appearance."

"Wow," Anzu breathed. "It's just like having transformation rods… except it's a rock instead."

"Something like that, I suppose," Isis smiled softly. Looking around the table, the smile grew just slightly. "I thought you'd like hearing about that."

"But didn't you say something about a strength boost?" Mai questioned.

Isis took another sip of her tea and nodded.

"The change is minimal, however," she shook her head slightly in disappointment. "A little stronger, a little quicker- hardly even noticeable, actually. Therein lies the problem."

"What good's a superhero transformation if you still aren't super?" Mai sat back and finished.

"Precisely," Isis agreed before taking a bite out of her pizza.

They ate in silence for a while, all clearly wondering about the predicament at hand.

"It's not like we're all totally helpless," Mai said absently between bites. "Anzu, Yugi mentioned that you dance. You have to be in pretty good shape for that, right? And didn't you say you used to beat up Honda and Jounouchi or something?"

"Yeah, but that was a while ago," Anzu replied just as absently, mind elsewhere.

"I can swim really well," Shizuka offered quietly. "And I know a little gymnastics."

"Mm," Isis acknowledged.

"I could kick people with my heels on," Mai suggested, half kidding. "And Isis could get them in that stare of hers."

"Oh?" Isis turned to Mai, fixing her with just such a stare.

"I didn't mean it as an insult," Mai muttered, turning her upper body away from Isis.

"Maybe we could-" Shizuka started.

"Weapons!" Anzu suddenly exclaimed excitedly, snapping her fingers.

She said this loud enough to be heard all over the restaurant, however. Conversations stopped mid-sentence, bites of pizza were left half-chewed and plates being cleared were halted mid-stack as all eyes turned to the girls' table. Anzu turned red and the other tried to find something fascinating to look at.

"Heh heh," Anzu smiled awkwardly at the crowd. "I was just, uh…"

Half-standing, Mai suddenly snapped, "Why don't you people mind your own business!"

Sentences were completed, bites of pizza were chewed and swallowed and plates were set noisily onto trays.

Anzu sighed in relief and smiled sheepishly at the rest of the group.

"Oops?" she offered.

"I don't suppose you want to explain that little outburst?" Mai asked, tone somewhere between angry and amused.

"Oh, yeah," Anzu leaned forward, eyes gleaming, and beckoned the others to do the same. "I know how to solve the problem! We just have to get weapons!"

"Oh, is _that_ all?" Mai rolled her eyes and finished off her drink. "Well, how difficult can _that_ be?"

"Not difficult at all," grinned Anzu, holding up her cell phone triumphantly.

As the other watched with varying surprise and confusion, Anzu selected a button to sped-dial. Holding it to her ear, she almost giddily announced that it was ringing.

"Hi, it's Anzu," she greeted when the line was answered. "Listen I -" she began. Then she noticed the others leaning in to hear. Rolling her eyes with mock annoyance, she got up and walked towards the door, saying, "Yeah, I'm here. Some people are just so rude. Anyway -"

The rest was cut off when she went out the door.

The other girls glanced at each other and, as a single body, went after her, Mai dropping a few bills on the table.

Outside, Anzu was standing with her back to them, already finishing her call. "Yeah… yeah... Oh, that would be great! Thanks... You too... Bye."

Snapping the phone shut, she turned and jumped in surprise at finding the others so close. She smiled and announced, "Okay, girls, we have a supplier!"

"A supplier for what?" came a girl's voice from behind them.

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Marshmallow/dancing around/ Malik got rejec-ted! Malik got rejec-ted!

Bunnydust: Fangirls are gonna be all over you for that

Dustbunny: Oh, well. I have different plans for Malik D

Malik: 0o'

Marshmallow: Now that you've read, review!


	3. Got the Goods

Disclaimer: As if anyone is paying attention to me anymore… She doesn't own either show, okay?

A/N: Ever have the feeling that something is wrong, but you don't know what? That's how I feel about this chapter. I fixed Rebecca's part and Miho's speech pattern. Please let me know of any gripping mistakes I may have missed.

PS: A/N: I've started a C2 dedicated to the ladies of _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ If you can recommend any quality genfic that focuses positively on at least one female character, please let me know. I'm especially after stories on Cyndia, Vivian and/ or the Ancient Egypt women because there isn't much of them period.

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The group turned in surprise at the sound of the voice. Standing before them was a little girl with blonde hair and glasses.

"Rebecca!" Anzu exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"Wait, is that Rebecca Hopkins?" Shizuka asked. "Katsuya mentioned her to me before."

"You mean that American duelist prodigy?" Mai quirked an eyebrow whilst looking the child over incredulously.

"She's also written several brilliant papers on archeology," Isis nodded, recognizing her from a photograph she'd seen in a newspaper.

"What are you four talking about suppliers?" Rebecca asked suspiciously, ignoring Anzu's question. "Are you part of a drug ring or something?"

"No, Rebecca, we're not part of a drug ring," Anzu rolled her eyes. Then, attempting to get Rebecca off the subject, she asked, "Now, what are you doing here?"

"If you're not talking about a drug ring supply, then what are you doing?" Rebecca was eyeing them all carefully now should they have any cocaine or any other drug stashed on them. "I don't want my darling mixed up with the wrong kind of people."

"The 'wrong kind of people'?" Anzu ground out, clenching her fists and teeth. Rebecca had never even blinked an eye about Honda or Jounouchi, but Anzu and the others were the 'wrong kind of people'?

"'Darling'?" Mai inquired quietly of Anzu.

"She's got a little puppy crush on Yugi," explained Anzu, also whispering.

"What are you whispering out?" Rebecca demanded, stepping closer. "You're hiding something. What is it?"

"If we told you, there wouldn't be any point in hiding it, would there," Mai said in response, getting tired of being grilled by a kid.

Rebecca glared at Mai and opened her mouth to answer back. Anzu, knowing that this could go on for some time, looked around for a distraction. Not finding one, she decided to wing it and hope for the best.

"Whoa! Aren't those the Care Bears?" Anzu yelled suddenly, pointing urgently behind Rebecca.

Rebecca spun around and looked around frantically, an almost hungry look in her eyes. Realizing suddenly that she'd been tricked, she turned back to face the older girls. All she found herself facing, though, was the wall of the building opposite. The four young ladies in question were gone. Rebecca's eyes narrowed dangerously.

_Something fishy's going on, and I'm gonna find out what. Nothing will stop me from getting to the bottom of this,_ she thought determinedly to herself.

Just then, a bus went by with a flashy Duel Monsters advertisement. In the center of the poster was the Black Magician in all his glory. Seeing the Black Magician reminded her…

_I'll figure them out after I go see Darling!_

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"Okay, that was close," Anzu stated the obvious. She and the other three girls had hightailed it as soon as Rebecca looked away.

"Yeah," Shizuka agreed with her. "We need to be more careful. But anyway, who did you get to supply us, Anzu?"

"Supply you with what?" questioned a curious female voice.

"Miho!" exclaimed Anzu, recognizing the voice. She, as well as the others, spun to face the girl.

"Miho?" Shizuka asked, peering at her closely. This girl looked familiar to her, but… "Oh! You're one of Katsuya's friends!"

"Yep, and you're his sister!" Miho's eyes lit up with recognition. "Anzu! Miho hasn't seen you much lately, ever since we stopped having classes together almost. Miho knows Shizuka, but who're the other two? Friends of yours?"

"This is Mai," Anzu pointed to her, "and this is Isis."

"Ishtar?" Miho gasped. "From the museum? About a year ago?"

"Yes, Miho," Anzu smiled, glad to have diverted Miho's attention. "That's her. Mai is a famous duelist."

"Wow!" Miho looked at them both in awe. Then she snapped out of it. "Wait a second! What were you guys talking about before about suppliers? You're not all druggies or anything are you?" she questioned with wide eyes.

"No, Ribbon, none of us are druggies," Anzu sighed. She was certain that the word had had more than one meaning once upon a time.

"But then what are you talking about?" Miho persisted stubbornly, hands on hips. She faced the others evenly, averting her eyes only for a second to watch the fleeting figure of a hot guy.

Anzu sighed and glanced at the others. If she knew Miho, and she did, Miho would wind up asking the guys what was up. When the guys found out something was going on that they didn't know about, they'd never get peace. If they let Miho in, she'd _have_ to keep quiet about it.

After a quick, silent agreement, Anzu relayed the plan to Miho, who listened intently. By the time Anzu had finished, Miho's eyes had taken on the size and shape of dinner plates and sparkles danced around within.

"Can Miho help?" she asked eagerly, clasping her hands. "Please? Miho promises that Miho would do a good job, really. Like, a bad guy would show up and Miho would be all like ya! (here she demonstrated a punch) Ha! (an elbow jab) and Hi-ya- Ahh!"

The last part came from the high kick she was showing off landing her foot in the face of an unsuspecting passer-by. Miho was bubbling out an apology when Mai grabbed her arm and dragged her off down the street where the other three were already turning the corner.

The girls didn't stop to catch their breath when they were sure that they were far enough away. Miho smiled sheepishly and played with her fingers. Clearing her throat a bit for attention, she decided to once more lay her "offer" on the table.

"So," she began carefully. "What do you say? Can Miho join up with you? No more hurting civilians- promise."

The others looked at her carefully, then exchanged glances. After a serene nod from Isis, Anzu smiled brightly at Miho.

"Crime-fighting is a bit of a hassle for only four people," she said. "And if you can handle bad guys as well as passing civilian men…"

Miho winced and pouted for a moment. Then, catching the underlying meaning in Anzu's words, her eyes lit up and she grinned widely.

"Does that mean..?"

"Yup," Mai conceded, smiling at the look of utter joy etched across Miho's face. "It sure does."

Miho was quiet for precisely one thirty-seventh of a second.

"Whoopee! Miho's in, Miho's in! Yes! Yes! Yay for Miho!" she shouted joyfully while she bounced around like a small child that had just been given a fully stocked candy store. The others watched her with large sweat drops rolling down the sides of their heads.

"Uh, yeah. Yay and all that for you, Ribbon," Anzu said, checking her watch. "But we really need to work out a plan for meeting my weapon supplier."

At this, Miho promptly stopped jumping around and came to attention. It would have been perfect if she hadn't been bouncing on the souls of her feet.

"You never did tell us who was supplying us," Isis turned to Anzu curiously.

Anzu grinned and explained her call. Mai rolled her eyes when she heard, Isis raised her eyebrows and Shizuka and Miho giggled a little.

Next there was the slight problem of who was going to make the pick-up. Miho hadn't had a chance to do anything and wanted to make up for just jumping into it. Shizuka insisted that she would be best for the job. Anzu was less sure of the idea. Mai and Isis were both unsure of any of the younger girls going, let alone Shizuka.

"It's right in my neighborhood. Besides, it'll be just Katsuya and me at home tonight," Shizuka told them. "Just a _sleeping_ Katsuya and me."

The others all opened their mouths to protest before promptly shutting them. There was no way to argue with that.

Before splitting up and going home, our heroines had a few things to pick up. The first stop was a hardware store from which they acquired a long rope and thick metal hook. The second store they visited was to gather what Anzu had agreed to trade for the use of the weapons.

"Well, it's been fun," Mai told them when the errands were done. "I'm gonna go shopping. Anyone wanna come along?"

Isis, Shizuka, and Anzu all suddenly remembered places to be and things to be done. Isis had had all the shopping she could take for a good few years, and Mai was too hardcore for Anzu and Shizuka, who didn't shop much anyway. Miho, on the other hand, had no previous knowledge of Mai's shopping habits and readily agreed to the idea.

"All right. I saw the most adorable outfit the other day that would be just perfect on you, hon. Bye, girls," Mai called as she and Miho walked back in the direction of Pizza Palace to get Mai's convertible.

"That poor girl," Isis intoned sadly as she shook her head regretfully.

Anzu and Shizuka giggled. After that, the three remaining girls said their good-byes and left. With her, Shizuka had the metal hook and a very full paper bag.

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Shizuka glanced at her digital clock later that night and saw that it was bout time for her to leave. She made her way over to her bureau and got out the outfit she'd designated earlier: black sweatpants, black sweatshirt, black socks, and a large black bandana.

Shizuka quickly donned the clothing and got her dark blue (the closest to black she had) sneakers from the closet. She piled her hair onto her head in a bun (using a black hair band, of course) and tied the bandana around her head over it. Studying herself in a mirror, she had a thought. Reaching into another drawer, she pulled out her small cosmetic kit. With great care, she colored thick lines across her cheekbones.

Before slipping out of her room, she stuck the hook into her pocket and got the paper bag from earlier out from beneath her bed. After thinking on it for a couple of seconds, she grabbed a black bag from her closet and slipped the paper one within it.

Shizuka didn't bother trying to be careful as she walked down the hall and got a flashlight from the closet. She even laughed openly as she remembered the movie night at Anzu's. She had nothing to worry about, after all. Jounouchi had been sleeping for at least two hours already.

It wasn't until she had to go outside that she grew cautious. Taking the back way out, she slipped out quickly and quietly. Her destination was several blocks away, and between there and her current location were at least a dozen street lights that she'd have to avoid.

Moving swiftly and hugging the shadows, Shizuka made her way to the afore decided meeting place. She hadn't gone more than a block and a half when a car came rolling down the street. Looking around frantically for a place to hide, Shizuka spotted and leapt behind a large shrub seconds before the headlights would have found her. She stayed there, stock still, until she could no longer hear the vehicle.

Sighing with relief and making a mental note to be more careful, Shizuka crept out of the bush and continued on her way.

Some time later found Shizuka looking uneasily down an alley. She suddenly wasn't so sure she should have taken this job after all, even though she was in a pretty good neighborhood. There was only one light in the alley and it revealed no one, both calming and confusing her. Where was the boy she was supposed to meet?

"Hey," rasped a voice from within the confines of the back street. Shizuka jumped in fear and surprise before catching sight of its source.

There, slightly blocked from her view by a large dumpster, was the boy she'd come to see. He wore an oversized beige trench coat and a hat as if he were playing in a gangster movie or. A large bead of sweat dropped down the side of Shizuka's head as she looked at him in bemusement. What was it with the trench coats anyway?

"Hey," he repeated. "Don't just stand there. Someone will see."

Realizing that she was indeed still standing out on the dimly lighted sidewalk, Shizuka quickly made her way into the dark alley. Stopping some feet from where her business partner stood, Shizuka suddenly found herself whispering, "Did you bring the goods?"

The young man standing opposite her looked surprised and then grinned before replying, "Did you?"

Resisting the urge to shift her eyes in every which way, Shizuka pulled the paper bag from the depths of her larger black bag and held it up for him to see. Nodding shortly, he responded by holding up one large, black briefcase, then a smaller one. Shizuka nodded as he had done.

There was a short standoff before a silent arrangement was made. Both cases were laid on the ground, the smaller case atop the larger. Meanwhile, Shizuka carefully judged the distance between the two of them. Both participants looked up at each other and the trench coat clad boy counted down from three with his fingers. When he got to one, Shizuka tossed the bag through the air while her associate gave the briefcases a good kick to send them her way. Both parties received what they'd come for at precisely the same time.

Kneeling down and examining the cases briefly, Shizuka found both locked, a small silver key tied to either handle. She looked up to find the boy checking out the contents of the bag she'd tossed him. He looked up at her as well and they nodded to each other once more. This being done, Shizuka stood from her observation and turned to leave while slightly shaking her head at the event.

The boy had exited through the other end of the alley and helped himself to a few sweet morsels from the paper bag. Smiling to himself and looking over the coat he wore, he decided that the night had gone well. He had actually hoped to see Anzu, but she was less likely to have played his game as Shizuka had. And, with any luck, Seto wouldn't even realize that his old novelty coat had left the safety of its corner in the closet.

After treading a few more blocks (which seemed like much more with two heavy cases, thank you), Shizuka looked up at Mai's large apartment complex with relief. She had had to dodge the notice of five cars on the way, and it hadn't been fun. But luckily she was now where she needed to be. It was all downhill from here. She pulled out her flashlight and aimed for the window she judged to be Mai's.

For her part, Mai was sitting in her darkened room and forcing her eyes open for what had to be the million and first time. She was beginning to worry about Shizuka when something flashed in front of her eyes. Mai blinked and looked around. The light appeared again and blinked rapidly. Mai jumped out of her chair and, grabbing a flashlight, hurried to the window to signal Shizuka back.

Outside, Serenity was beginning to wonder if maybe Mai had dozed off. The thought worried her: what was she supposed to do with her new loads? Relief flooded through her as the light of a flashlight shone on and off from above her. Giving the single return flash they'd agreed on, Shizuka stepped back a bit and got the cases ready. She wondered if there was some way she could warn Mai of the weight that she'd soon have to take on, but of course there was not.

Quite suddenly, a rope dangled before her face and brought her back to a more important line of thought. Mai would find out about the weight soon enough. The girls had decided earlier that they didn't want Mai's neighbors to be suspicious about late night visitors. Since most would be sleeping at this time, it was unlikely that any of them would notice large cases going past their windows.

Shizuka retrieved the hook from her pocket and efficiently knotted the rope around it. When she felt confident that there would be no slippage, she hooked on the larger case and gave the rope a tug. It took a few seconds for Mai to get accustomed to the weight, but the rope eventually moved evenly upward. A few minutes later, it had disappeared through her window. Shizuka aimed her flashlight once more and blinked it on and off a few times. Understanding, Mai tossed the line back down for the second case. It wasn't long before the case had joined Mai and its brother through the window.

Getting no word from the younger girl that there was more, Mai shone her light down to say that all was well. Shizuka returned the message with a single quick flash and headed off for home.

Meanwhile, Mai was eyeing the cases before her almost hungrily. Knowing that she wasn't supposed to open them until the next meeting, but bursting with curiosity (or jus plain nosiness), Mai moved to open the cases. However, she of course found them to be locked. Confused, Mai looked more closely at what was before her and dropped her mouth open with surprise. Her mouth then closed to grind her teeth together awhile her eyes narrowed.

"Shizuka!" she yelled at the walls from frustration.

Shizuka, as mentioned, was currently making her way home. She fancied that she heard her name and smirked just a bit. She decided that she must not be as far from Mai's as she'd thought. Happily fingering the two keys in her pocket, she smiled to herself. Her small victory was cut short a second later when she had to jump behind a trashcan to avoid notice by a passing truck.

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Dustbunny: I just recently realized how full of dialogue my other chapters have been, how lacking in description. Hopefully this one is a little better

Mokuba: A little… Sort of… Not really

Anzu: Hey, now, that's not nice. Although…

Dustbunny: Oh, thanks everyone. I feel the love. Really. --

Marshmallow: Probably because you're in denial! Chao for now, everyone, and don't forget to review!


	4. Who am I?

Disclaimer: Pst…. _Psssst_! Wanna know a secret? . … . Dustbunny… doesn't own _YGO!_ or _Sailor Moon_

A/N: Woohoo! We're back! As always, I ask that you keep your eyes peeled for errors. If you find any, slap me with them. Hard. Oh, and before you get worried by some of the quasi-fluff that managed to sneak in, there isn't going to be any official RyouAnzu. There isn't going to be any official pairing at all, actually. I just thought the romance would make it more _Sailor Moon_-like

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Anzu woke the next morning anxiously and checked her cell messages. She relaxed when she saw that Shizuka had left a message confirming that she'd made it home safely. Stretching out, Anzu made her way downstairs. Absentmindedly, she found herself searching the morning paper for any stories that might tell of an exclusive crime ring that needed taken care of. To her subconscious dismay, the only thing that came close was a story describing several sightings of a female prowler the night before. Sighing a bit with the disappointment of it all, she gobbled down a couple of Pop Tarts and went back to her room to get dressed.

Anzu quickly pulled on a pair of blue shorts, a pale pink sleeveless shirt, matching socks, and a pair of sneakers. She had something important to do today. Confirming that it was now about time that people would be up and about, she grabbed her purse and left for downtown.

A few hours later found Anzu leaning up against a building, sighing in frustration. Checking her watch, Anzu discovered that she'd been wandering around for just under three hours. What was she doing? Looking for Ryou, of course. She knew that the two of them needed to speak, but that would be the smallest bit difficult if the case of his absence at present wasn't dealt with. Anzu sighed and cursed herself for what had to be the one-billionth time since waking that she couldn't recall his address. This also brought up the question of how he'd known hers, having never been to her house, but she'd get that straitened out later.

Just as it seemed all hope of locating him before having to meet up with Shizuka was lost, Anzu spotted a familiar mess of white hair going in the direction opposite her. _Oh, no, you don't,_ she thought in a determined way. _If you think that I spent almost three hours looking for you so you could walk away_ _from me, you're crazy._

This thought in her head, the brunette no less than charged in the direction of her target. He was quite a ways ahead of her by now, but she didn't let the fact faze her. She was in perfect shape for a chase. She wouldn't let him just- wait! Where was he? Ah ha! He was turning to head through the park- to throw her off, perhaps? No, he didn't know she was following him, or, if he did, he didn't know what was good for him.

Because of the crowd and the already lost distance, Anzu reached the park entrance a good (or bad, depending how you look at it) few minutes after the unknowingly pursued boy. Looking around like a cat stalking a mouse, she was able to spot him once more by his unique 'do. The chase continued.

She was close enough now that, had she been thinking properly, she would have called out to him. But instead she kept steady pace and was gaining more each second. It was then that her prey stopped at a corner and seemed to be preparing to cross. The street light on the corner where he stood was known for its almost non-existent walk light. There was no way she'd catch him if he was allowed to cross. Luckily for her, the 'don't walk' phase had just kicked in a moment ago.

Realizing that she was a mere few yards from him, she gave an extra burst of speed. It wasn't until about a quarter of a second before the impact that it actually occurred to her what she was doing. Poor Ryou hadn't even noticed her and so any evasion on his part was impossible as well. The light had just given the signal to walk, which was what he was preparing to do, when the slightly out-of-it dancer slammed into his side in a full-on tackle that sent both of them crashing to the ground.

The two teens lay in stunned silence for a second or so, no one bothering to help them. Eventually, they pulled themselves up and brushed themselves off, not looking at one another. Anzu grinned sheepishly.

"Heh, sorry about that. I, uh, was trying to catch you before you got across," she explained with a tone to match her smile.

"Well, you certainly did do what you set out to," he allowed with a small wince. He, like Anzu, was carefully avoiding the subject that they both knew needed discussing the most. The difference was that she was embarrassed, while he was afraid of what she had to say. Somehow she didn't carry the look of a girl that was about to confess her undying love and compassion for him.

The two stood there, not quite knowing what to say though they both knew what had to be. The seconds seemed like hours and the tension grew thicker for every second within those hours. Finally, the deafening silence was broken.

"About what you said-"

"About what I said-"

They both stopped to let the other continue which neither did. Instead they stood there, grinning like a couple of fools at the folly and blushing. Perfect setting for Malik to stumble onto, ne?

Said Egyptian just happened about the same corner on which the blushing teens stood. Squinting for a better look, he was able to confirm that both were indeed blushing, Ryou's flush extremely obvious. His eyes almost doubled in size as he added two plus two to get five. Anzu must have turned him down because she was secretly running around with Ryou! No! Not only that, but, judging by their mutual discomfort, it just might be possible… Yes! Anzu must be pregnant with Ryou's child and they were planning to run off to Canada!

Malik took a moment to rethink the last part and consequently decided to find a way to kick his soap opera-watching habit. But there was still _definitely_ something going on between the two. Malik huffed indignantly. Getting turned down was bad enough, but for another guy? He couldn't help feel jealous as he watched them smile and laugh awkwardly with one another. Slowly, the jealousy took over his rationality and he advanced on the couple quickly, not caring that only certain people were supposed to know he was in Domino.

Said couple didn't even become aware of the blonde until he suddenly appeared beside them.

"Hello there, Anzu. Bakura," he said the boy's name just a LITTLE tightly, wearing a smile that didn't even hint authenticity. "So, what might the two (he said it as if it tasted like cough syrup) of you be doing here on such a beautiful example of a day?" he questioned with fake cheer. "Together... alone."

"Oh, we just ran into each other," Anzu explained.

"Well, if you want to be technical about it," Ryou chimed in, "She ran into me."

"Is that right?" Malik answered, his phoniness slipping away. So they weren't secretly running around after all. Good to have that out of the way. Feeling as if something needed to be cleared up as far as the young lady beside him was concerned, he slipped an arm chummily around her shoulders.

Anzu blushed and looked surprised and Ryou seemed to deflate. If nothing else he looked as if his rich, child-spoiling grandmother had just lost her entire fortune and then died to boot. Malik didn't pay attention to _him_, though, as he spoke to his new armrest in a smooth voice.

"So, Anzu," he began casually as if it was perfectly normal to be leaning into her as he was doing now, "have you reconsidered my offer for a date?" It was a very rare phenomenon that a girl would turn someone as good-looking and charming (if not altogether modest) as him down, and so there was no way she'd say no twice.

"As a matter of fact, Malik," Anzu told him sweetly, "I haven't."

So much for that theory. As her statement was concluded, she removed his arm smoothly from across her shoulders and all but handed it back to him. She took a small step away to discourage any further actions of the sort and tried not to blush when she realized that Ryou had regained three times his composure. She also had to resist the urge to laugh (and feel guilty about it afterwards, of course) at the look on Malik's face.

There was silence for several moments until a fourth party ran up to them. It was Shizuka. Not seeming to notice anything unusual about the three older youths that she now shared a corner with, she chirped out cheery hellos and caught Anzu's eye. The younger girl was obviously very excited and the fact put Anzu into the same state of mind, forcing her to remember what the girl must be so cheery about, and to forget about the problem she'd set out to solve.

"So, Anzu, I was gonna hit the arcade. Wanna come?" the girl asked with a gleam that threatened to overtake both her eyes.

They had agreed the day before on their story. They had several hours yet until they were to meet the older women, and nothing could be made to seem out of the ordinary. For this reason, the two would hang out as they often did and then be carted off by the older blonde with a pre-planned excuse. Isis and Miho would meet them by their own means.

However, it now dawned on Anzu, complications had arisen since yesterday. She knew that she and Ryou desperately needed to sort things out, but she doubted the sense of talking about such things with an audience - particularly one that Malik was present in. Furthermore, leaving the two boys alone didn't seem too bright either. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but something told her that Malik suspected something. The solution was actually really simple, she realized, but the opportunity to go over certain things with Shizuka would be sacrificed in the process.

"Sounds fun, Shizuka," Anzu replied with a smile. "You guys wanna come too?" she addressed Ryou and Malik. Shizuka looked uncertain but said nothing. She didn't think much of it after a second or two, actually - it would be normal for at least one of the girls to extend the invitation. But, of course, she didn't know the whole truth behind the gesture.

"Sure," Ryou answered her, trying to seem like it was no big deal. He was sure that Anzu had been looking pointedly at him when she'd asked... Well, maybe not, but it was still an opportunity to spend time with her. With Ryou going along, Malik quickly accepted the offer as well.

With the two young men in tow, Anzu and Shizuka headed towards the Big Web Arcade, sharing a significant smile.

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"Get him, Anzu, get him! Go, go, go! Punch, no, kick! Oh! Hit him, hit him, hit him!" Shizuka urged on as Anzu continued to give Malik a royal beating in their game of Tekken. Ryou stood to the side and attempted to cheer Anzu without looking as if he knew Shizuka.

The four had been at the arcade for a few hours and it hadn't been uneventful. Several older boys had come on to the girls and, when they had refused to get a clue, Ryou and Malik had attempted to get rid of them in an attempt to show off. If they had been cooperating, they may have been more effective. As it happened, Anzu and Shizuka had convinced the pair to just ignore the annoying- and, by that time, laughing- boys and move on. Not taking well to being ignored, one of the unknown young men had grabbed Anzu forcefully by her arm.

Well, Anzu certainly wasn't going to stand for that. Before either Ryou or Malik could step in, she had whirled around and given the thug a good whack in the head with her blue leather purse. The guy had stumbled back but looked less than happy, and ready to come for more. Well, let's say he got the plus package. Using the same anger-fueled force that had gotten her fired from Burger World, she delivered a solid jab to his jaw. It was enough to knock him flat on his back and get rid of the other would-be assailants.

"Er, yeah!" Malik had called after them, still a bit shocked at what Anzu had done.

"Now you know better!" Ryou half-heartedly added.

Since then, things had gone well and the small group had occupied themselves with the various games that surrounded them. Ryou and Malik were never far from Anzu's side. Shizuka, too busy dreaming of following the steps of Sailor Moon to be perceptive, was beginning to wonder if Ryou thought that Malik was being too forward and that was why he was sticking so close. Yes, following after Sailor Moon she was.

After being creamed by Anzu at Tekken for the sixth time in a row, Malik suggested that they play a different game. Agreeing, if only for his sake, Anzu scanned the crowed room for something else to do. The DDR was already in use and there seemed to be a long line. Knowing that she was most likely the only person who wanted to play and that the boys weren't about to space themselves from her, she overlooked it. Besides, she didn't want to be too caught up should Mai show up for them while she was still competing. The game was hard to get away from if you were good. Spectators sometimes just refused to let people go. It turned out not to be a game but familiar faces that Anzu found herself headed towards.

"Yugi!" she called happily. "Jounouchi!" She smiled and waved as she made her way to them. They returned both gestures and moved to meet her halfway. Their smiles seemed to grow when they saw Ryou right behind her- then falter when they saw that Shizuka and Malik were also there. Four, after all, was nothing but an understated crowd. (Apparently Jounouchi had already gotten wind of Malik, or just didn't care.)

"Hey, Anzu!" Jounouchi replied to her. "Hey, Bakura. Sis… Malik."

"Anzu," Shizuka interrupted, looking at her watch, "Mai's going to be meeting us to go to her house soon." To confirm the statement, she held up her wrist so that the older girl could see as well.

"You're both going to Mai's?" Jounouchi questioned. He knew that Shizuka was going to be spending the evening with her, but he didn't think Anzu liked to be around her too often.

"Yeah," Shizuka told him, digging up the story they'd agreed on from her mind. "She wants us all to have a sleep-over. Something about… 're-education.'"

Anzu nodded in compliance. "She said something about you guys polluting our delicate feminine minds with your disgustingly boorish man-like ways," she said whilst rolling her eyes.

"Oh," Yugi answered simply, trying not to feel too offended. "I see."

Just then a car horn sounded, causing the group to look out toward the street. Mai sat in her convertible, motor still running. She waved a perfectly manicured hand at the girls and honked again.

"See you guys later," they said in unison before running to greet Mai. The boys called their good-byes and waved as Mai drove off.

Jounouchi and Yugi then turned to Ryou with the intension of asking about his time with Anzu. Sure, they had been accompanied by Shizuka and Malik, but maybe they'd been alone at some time? It was when they were about to bring the subject into conversation, however, that they first noticed the tension between the two boys before them. The look that flashed in Ryou's eyes when he turned to them was enough to confirm their suspicion: the albino had competition.

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Mai drove toward Anzu's house so that she could pick up her extra clothes and whatnot. Afterward they would stop at Shizuka's. The teens couldn't help notice that Mai seemed to be brooding about something, occasionally shooting a menacing glare in their general direction. Anzu couldn't help but notice that Shizuka seemed to know why- and seemed doggone pleased. Pushing the thoughts aside, Anzu slipped into a daydream of what could quite possibly be her future.

_"Help me," cried many voices. Looks of horror were resting upon just about every face in the bank lobby. Two men in the center of the room held guns high where they could be seen._

_"Everybody here had better _shut up now_!" one of them boomed._

_The shouts stopped abruptly but frightened murmurs still rippled throughout the room. The taller of the two men began going around the room and having everyone empty the contents of their pockets. Anything of value was compensated. _

_The shorter man remained in the center of the room where he could easily see any activity. His gun was poised and ready to be shot off at the first sign of offence. The other man was just making his way over to the tellers._

_"Hold it!" a female voice commanded him just before he made it half way._

_All attention was suddenly turned to the right of the man. There stood Anzu (but of course no one knew that) with her hair done up Sailor Moon style..._

Snapping slightly out of her daydream, Anzu frowned. She may have worn that humiliating Burger World uniform, but she did have _some_ standards. There was no way she was wearing her hair like _that._ Thus decided, Anzu rewound the scene in her head before continuing...

_All attention was suddenly turned to the right of the man. There stood Anzu (but of course no one knew that) with her hair down like Sailor Saturn. Shizuka, Mai and Isis were stenciled into the background somewhere. Not even slightly fazed, the man turned to her with a vicious snarl._

_"Who do you think you are, girly?" he growled at her impatiently. Apparently he was not impressed by her or her companions. But this didn't make her hesitate for even a moment._

_"I am-"_

Again, Anzu snapped back to reality. This time, her frown was far deeper. Isis seemed to have some way to allow them to go on with their plan and Mokuba had supplied them with weaponry, but there was still another question unanswered: Who the heck were they supposed to be?

.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.

Dustbunny: And thus we've come full circle 

Bunnydust: Yippee-do-da-day

Marshmallow: Bundle of joyous sunshine, isn't she? You know what else is a bundle of joyous sunshine? Well thought out reviews!


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